Last-gasp Carrusca penalty downs Sydney FC

With conditions the complete opposite to those five days ago at Coopers Stadium, both sides enjoyed the best possible weather for football.

United were quick out of the blocks in the opening stages, finding space on the left flank through Craig Goodwin. But Sydney grew into the game and played the ball from the middle of the park well.

Both sides looked to get the ball onto the deck, but countless fouls halted any kind of fluidity that the game deserved.

And with these fouls, tempers started to flair and reached boiling point in the 27th minute when Sydney's Alexander Gersbach launched himself into a horrendous challenge on United's Jimmy Jeggo. Gersbach was rightfully sent from the ground, Jeggo lucky to come out unscathed.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Sydney continued to snap themselves into challenges, testing the patience of referee, Strebre Delovski.

Meanwhile, the Reds' confidence grew, as did their intensity and willingness to go forward in search of the game's opener.

And front man Pablo Sanchez even turned the ball in just on the stroke of half time, with a clever headed effort, but he was questionably called offside as the heated first half drew to a close.

The second half started incredibly dominant for the home side, who stretched Sydney FC to their absolute limits; controlling both possession and offensive pressure.

It finally culminated in the first goal of the match, after Jimmy Jeggo struck not one, but two spectacular volleys from outside the box, with the second taking a slight deflection and sending the crowd into a frenzy when it finally struck the back of the net.

With the atmosphere electric, the Reds continued to press in sight of doubling their advantage through the enforced pressure of wingers Cirio and Goodwin. United also dominated the Sky Blues in the middle of the park, out running their opponents and using the extra man to their advantage.

However, the lead wasn’t to last long as a temporary lapse in concentration led to the acrobatic finish of Filip Holosko who lobbed it over Galekovic, making it 1-1.

The Reds still showed their resilience, throwing everything to regain the lead. Goodwin had a one-on-one opportunity but was denied by Janjetovic, while Pablo Sanchez had a number of opportunities he would’ve converted on any other night.

In the dying minutes, just like we saw last season, Dylan McGowan made his way into the opposing 18-yard box for a corner, and when the ball fell to him, he was brought down.

Marcelo Carrusca stepped up for the penalty, and calmly tucked the ball into the top corner, awarding the Reds back-to-back victories.

United Head Coach, Guillermo Amor, said he was pleased with his side’s performance, stating that they showed a lot of character to come back after they conceded a goal, also mentioning how curcial the incredible support was from the Reds' fans.

“What pleased me most is that we were persistent and consistent in our attack and we kept trying to get a goal.

“I’m kind of bothered that we conceded that goal but we kept fighting and I am happy in the end.

“I was confident that we would have three or even four chances to get a winning goal, but I didn’t know when or how they were going to (eventuate).

“Tonight, we didn’t play with just eleven men, we had twelve because of our fans. They were incredible all game and we are thankful for this.”